In 2025, we are reviving the chip tradition, including the limited-issue purple chips.

We have found that purple chips have become a problem. This includes trying to find people who no longer attend BARGE, sometimes months or years after the event, as well as associated costs with this. This has become an entitlement and chore, and the RBCC team was pretty unhappy with carrying that forward. So we are doing things differently.

Our goals here are pretty straightforward:

  • We want to be effectively done distributing purple chips at the end of BARGE.
  • We want to award chips to people who are still involved in BARGE, specifically, the people who actually come to BARGE.
  • We do not want to give chips to people who are no longer involved or who no longer want chips.
  • We don’t want to produce excess purple chips.
  • We want to make this easy on Organizers, future main event winners, and RBCC.

For 2025, our Purple Chip Plan is:

  1. In order for someone to receive a purple chip for which they are otherwise entitled below, they must attend the BARGE. The RBCC will not ship 2025 purple chips.
  2. The Previous Main Event Winner will be given discretionary chips. They may do whatever they want with these, including (but not limited to) keeping them, or shipping them to people not otherwise eligible. They may also buy extra purple chips.
  3. No one else may buy purple chips from RBCC.
  4. One purple chip is reserved for:
  • the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner in major events
  • the 1st place winner in second chance events
  • all Previous Main Event winners who attend BARGE
  • members of the chip production team (RBCC)
  • each Organizer
  • the Banquet Speaker
  1. At most one purple chip will be given per person, excepting the Previous Main Event Winner. Any second or further chip will be given to the Previous Main Event Winner as an additional discretionary chip.
  2. 3 purple chips are reserved for the host room and given to the poker room manager for their distribution.
  3. All chips not distributed by the end of BARGE will be forfeit.
    • Prize chips are intended to be awarded at the events.
    • Other chips (ME legacy winners, make-up set purple chips) should be collected before the start of the 2025 Main Event dinner break. If not, these chips will be released to the Previous Main Event Winner as additional discretionary chips.
    • A Previous Main Event Winner who wants these additional discretionary chips should be sure to collect them on Saturday night.
  4. In the event something crazy happens (BARGE is cancelled, postponed, moved online) RBCC will make reasonable efforts to uphold the spirit of these rules while ignoring the inconvenient parts.
  5. History suggests we have been somewhat haphazard in giving out purple chips. This will likely continue. Everyone involved is encouraged to obey the spirit of these rules, not the letter.

We are also distributing make-up chips for 2020, 2021, and 2023, since no chips were available at these events. They are being given out at BARGE 2025.

  • The same rules apply for who is eligible for chips, but not how they are distributed. We are making a limited effort to get purple chips to event winners and previous main event winners.
  • If you are entitield to chips, and you attend BARGE, we will have chips for you.
  • For anyone who buys a sampler set and pays for shipping, we will mail purple chips with sampler sets.
  • For anyone who does not buy a sampler set, please let us know how we can get you your chips. We would prefer to minimize shipping costs.
  • In any event, make-up chips not claimed by the dinner break of BARGE 2025 will be forfeit and will be given to the pictured main event winner as additional discretionary chips. We will try to make an exception for chips that are arranged to be picked up later, etc.

This plan may not necessarily apply to future purple chips at future BARGEs.